“I was nervous,” Jennings said. “I felt like it was my first rookie game again. Just putting on that jersey was a blessing and I was just very grateful.”

Jennings had joined the Bucks on Sunday morning by signing a 10-day contract. He started the season playing in China before joining the Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, in February.

“It’s just all the hard work I was putting in in China,” Jennings said. “People don’t understand I was still hurt with my Achilles injury, so now I’m finally healthy and I was able to really just revamp my whole self.

“I just was able to find myself again. I was really mentally messed up in the head because of my so-called career-ending injury. Just always wanted to bounce back from that. … I tried to get a lot of negative thoughts and things out of my head and it really helped me.”

Guard Brandon Jennings is signing a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, reports The Undefeated’s Marc Spears: G-League Wisconsin Herd guard Brandon Jennings is signing a 10-day contract with his original NBA team in the Milwaukee Bucks, a source told ESPN’s The Undefeated. https://t.co/RGAOrTd1ls — Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) March 10, 2018 Jennings has been […]

Just filed my updated story for the @journalsentinel. While we wait for it to post, I asked Jason Terry and he says he did not blow in Lance Stephenson's ear in the second quarter. "I ain't gonna steal another man's move," Terry said. He openly admits to talking smack, though.

During the second half, Lance Stephenson apparently intentionally tripped John Henson away from the play, but there was no foul called. Henson was understandably incensed during an ensuing break inand asked for a review that did not take place. …

Stephenson was involved in another notable play in the second quarter. Terry knocked down a corner three-pointer to tie the game at 26 and then proceeded to run up to Stephenson and apparently blow in his ear — a move Stephenson is known for dating back to the 2014 playoffs when he did that to LeBron James.

The Milwaukee Bucks have officially signed guard/forward Shabazz Muhammad, who was waived by the Timberwolves last week. Over five NBA seasons, all spent with Minnesota, the 25-year-old has averaged 9.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Muhammad, the 14th pick in the 2013 Draft out of UCLA, resigned with the Wolves this offseason, but fell out […]

Upon returning to Milwaukee after All-Star Weekend, Giannis Antetokounmpo declared that he “could never see myself being out there (Los Angeles).” In a story by the Journal Sentinel’s Matt Velazquez, Giannis praised Milwaukee’s “quiet and calm” vibe. Latest for the JS: Giannis Antetokounmpo happy to be back with Bucks in Milwaukee following the break https://t.co/H7xymwaXEZ via @journalsentinel […]

“I could never see myself being out there. It’s great for two, three days but it’s a little bit — things are going a little bit crazy.

“Of course, because of the All-Star Game, there was a lot of people there. … In Milwaukee — I love Milwaukee — it’s low-key. I can walk down the road, down the streets without anybody bugging me — nobody interrupts my conversation or anything. I love how quiet and calm Milwaukee is.”

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo says the pain in his right knee is caused by not getting enough rest. In an interview with Eurohoops’ Varlas Nikos, Giannis said that taking no time off and playing heavy minutes both contributed to his knee pain (starting at 1:48): Roughly translated from Greek: What do doctors say? Giannis: “The problem […]

In an interview with Eurohoops’ Varlas Nikos, Giannis said that taking no time off and playing heavy minutes both contributed to his knee pain (starting at 1:48):

Roughly translated from Greek:

What do doctors say?

Giannis: “The problem is that I play too much.”

There’s no other issue?

Giannis: “No, it’s just that I have to rest more. This summer I had no time to rest. After the playoffs, I went straight to the gym. I went to see Kostas and practiced for about a week and a half with him.

“I didn’t have any rest. And that’s how the situation deteriorated. After this season, I will have time to rest. […]

“I had time to rest and when I was back, I was in better shape. I wanted to show to my team and my teammates that… They know I’m in pain. When I play for 40 minutes every night, they say, ‘How is he in pain? He can play.’

“But I showed to my teammates when I told them that, Guys, I will stay off for two games, and I will return in better shape.”

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo says he hopes to spend time with Kobe Bryant this summer in order to pick his brain. In a story by ESPN’s Eric Nehm, Giannis said he wants to learn Kobe’s mindset more than anything else. "I want to ask [@kobebryant] if I can come to L.A. to work with him." – @Giannis_An34, […]

“Khris was going, I knew he was going to throw me the lob,” Antetokounmpo said. “It was a bad pass by Khris, but I was able to get up and go get the ball. I did not see Tim Hardaway under me. I just went up there and just went hard and tried to get the ball and dunk the ball.”

The play immediately went viral, with the video spreading across social media. After the game, Antetokounmpo said he had not checked his phone yet but knew there would be a powerful response to the dunk.

“I know a lot of people are going to reach about me and ask me about the dunk, what happened, how I feel about it, which one’s better, mine or Vince (Carter’s over Frederic Weis during the 2000 Olympics),” Antetokounmpo said. “But it was just a good play.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/giannis-antetokounmpo-jumps-tim-hardaway-jr-monster-oop/feed/02018 NBAENEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 6: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks handles the ball during the game against the New York Knicks on February 6, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)Post Up: Rivalry Timehttp://www.slamonline.com/blogs/postup/post-up-rivalry-time/
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Magic 116 (17-36), Cavaliers 98 (30-22) It may be time to panic in Cleveland. With Thursday’s trade deadline creeping up and the Cavs continuing to struggle mightily — they were outscored 65-31 in the second half and scored just nine points in the final frame — GM Koby Altman might have to make a big […]

It may be time to panic in Cleveland. With Thursday’s trade deadline creeping up and the Cavs continuing to struggle mightily — they were outscored 65-31 in the second half and scored just nine points in the final frame — GM Koby Altman might have to make a big move this week, and you definitely can’t blame him for wanting to do so.

LeBron led Cleveland with 25 points and 10 rebounds, but no other Cavalier scored more than 12. After a hot start, Isaiah Thomas (11 points and 8 assists on 3-of-13 shooting) struggled as the Cavs’ offense grinded to a halt after a solid 24 minutes of play. Orlando was led by Jonathon Simmons (34 points on 17 shots) and shot nearly 53 percent from the field as a team, despite Aaron Gordon being sidelined due to injury. That’s three losses in four games for the Cavaliers.

Raptors 111 (37-16), Celtics 91 (39-16)

The NBA’s best home team just keeps on going. The Raptors moved to within just one game of the Atlantic Division-leading Celtics with the W tonight, getting 23 points and 8 rebounds from Kyle Lowry and 20 points from C.J. Miles off the bench. Toronto went 17-for-36 from three and held Boston below 40 percent shooting in Kyrie Irving‘s (17 points in 21 minutes) return to the floor.

Brad Stevens’ squad snapped a four-game winning streak with the loss. The Celtics have slowly ceded ground to the Raptors for the past couple of weeks with Toronto hitting a stride, so the divisional race is as close right now as it has been in awhile and probably will come right down to the end of the season.

Hawks 108 (17-37), Grizzlies 82 (18-35)

Anytime a team commits 25 turnovers, it makes winning in the NBA a pretty tough task. That was too much for the Grizzlies to overcome down in Atlanta, as they went down by 16 at the break and weren’t able to recover. Scoring has been an issue for Memphis all year — even when Mike Conley was healthy — and the struggles have continued. The Grizzlies made just 4 three-pointers all night and were led by reserves Mario Chalmers (13 points) and Ivan Raab (10 points, 11 rebounds).

The Hawks took full advantage of Memphis’ miscues. Dennis Schroder had 22 points on 15 shots while rookie John Collins (15 points, 10 rebounds) made a difference off the bench. Both teams could look different after the deadline, as Tyreke Evans and Marco Belinelli both sat out to stay healthy for potential trades.

Rockets 123 (39-13), Nets 113 (19-36)

It was another one of those games for Chris Paul and James Harden. The Rockets’ stars combined to score 61 points on 20-of-38 shooting to bury a Nets team that hung around for over three quarters before Houston pulled away. Clint Capela (18 points, 11 rebounds) also played well around the rim.

CP3 and Beard both got whatever they wanted offensively. The problem, for awhile, was that was also the case for Brooklyn which got 21 points from trade candidate (and former Rocket) DeMarre Carroll as well as 18 points and 9 assists from Spencer Dinwiddie. Jarrett Allen continued his strong play, posting 16 points. But when the Nets needed stops to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter, they just couldn’t get them.

Bucks 103 (30-23), Knicks 89 (23-32)

The awesome matchup of Kristaps Porzingis and Giannis got off to a fun start, as expected, but the excitement was cut short when KP fell awkwardly in the second quarter after throwing down a dunk. He suffered a left knee injury and had to be helped off the floor. A postgame MRI confirmed a torn left ACL, which means KP is done for the rest of the season.

Obviously, that put a damper on the game a bit, at least until Giannis went full Greek Freak on Tim Hardaway Jr. in the second half with possibly the biggest poster of the season. It’s incredible what that dude can do on the floor.

He wound up with 23 points, 11 boards and 6 assists. Eric Bledsoe (23 points, 8 assists) and Khris Middleton (20 points) chipped in. Enes Kanter‘s 19 points and 16 rebounds paced a Knicks team that has lost four in a row and might be without its best player for awhile.

76ers 115 (26-25), Wizards 102 (31-23)

The inconsistent Wizards struck again on Tuesday, as their five-game winning streak was basically ended in the first quarter. Philadelphia exploded to build a 37-20 lead in the opening frame and never looked back, even as Washington threatened to make a move toward the end of regulation.

Bradley Beal‘s 30 points wasn’t enough for the Wizards, who have played well without John Wall but need both Otto Porter (17 points, 8 rebounds) and Kelly Oubre (10 points on 4-of-13 shooting) to step up in his absence for them to tread water in the East.

Washington had no answer for Joel Embiid (27 points, 12 rebounds) or, for that matter, the rest of the 76ers. Philly shot over 55 percent from the field and was 14-for-28 from three with contributions coming from up and down the entire roster. Dario Saric (20 points, 7 rebounds) had a big game.

Lakers 112 (22-31), Suns 93 (18-37)

Don’t look now, but the Lakers are starting to play some pretty good basketball. That’s three straight wins for LA and seven wins in their last nine games, all with Lonzo Ball sidelined. Brandon Ingram (26 points on 12 shots) and Julius Randle (21 points, 8 rebounds) were great again, as was Josh Hart (15 points, 11 rebounds). The youth movement has sparked the winning, which only makes what the Lakers do this summer — when Randle is a restricted free agent — all the more interesting.

Phoenix had no trouble scoring in the first half, even with Devin Booker on the bench, but the shots stopped falling after the break as things slowly slipped away from the Suns. TJ Warren had 24 points in the loss.

Thunder 125 (31-24), Warriors 105 (41-13)

The Russell Westbrook revenge tour continues. A few months after the Thunder crushed the Warriors down in Oklahoma City, the same thing happened in Oakland as the combo of Russ (34 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) and Paul George (38 points) was way too much for Golden State. OKC roared out of the gates, scoring 41 first quarter points — 21 of which were from Russ — and the Dubs never really responded.

OKC was like a team possessed at Oracle Arena and — on both ends of the floor — completed dominated play. Kevin Durant got his 33 points and Steph Curry scored 21 in the Thunder’s first win at Golden State since 2013.

Zeller gives the Bucks a solid backup center for the playoff push. The deal gives the Nets a chance to further replenish their future pool of draft picks.

The Bucks will send the 2018 second-round pick to the Nets should it fall between 31 and 47 in the draft. Otherwise, Phoenix will receive the pick as part of the Eric Bledsoe trade. If the Bucks pick doesn’t convey in 2018, Milwaukee will send its unprotected second-round pick in 2020 to Brooklyn, league sources said.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/report-nets-trade-tyler-zeller-milwaukee/feed/02018 Stacy RevereMILWAUKEE, WI - JANUARY 26: Tyler Zeller #44 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots over Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half of a game at the Bradley Center on January 26, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)Post Up: Youth Movementhttp://www.slamonline.com/blogs/postup/post-up-youth-movement/
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Hornets 133 (22-29), Pacers 126 (29-24) Charlotte dropped 49 points in the first quarter — the most by any team in any quarter this season — and, despite a second half surge from Indiana, was able to hold on behind 72 combined points from Kemba Walker (41 points, 9 assists) and Nicolas Batum (31 points, […]

Charlotte dropped 49 points in the first quarter — the most by any team in any quarter this season — and, despite a second half surge from Indiana, was able to hold on behind 72 combined points from Kemba Walker (41 points, 9 assists) and Nicolas Batum (31 points, 9 rebounds).

Neither team had much trouble scoring in this one. Victor Oladipo led the visitors with 35 points on 21 shots while Myles Turner (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Bojan Bogdanovic (18 points) helped with the offensive load. The Hornets hit 15 threes on 33 attempts.

Lakers 102 (20-31), Nets 99 (19-34)

On the night Brook Lopez made his return to Brooklyn to take on the team whose franchise scoring list he leads, the Lakers’ young guns stole the show in a close win. Brandon Ingram (16 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists) nearly posted a triple-double and Julius Randle (19 points, 12 rebounds) dominated the Nets down low. Lopez added 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

Joe Harris missed the game-tying three at the buzzer for Brooklyn, which was led by Spencer Dinwiddie (23 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists) and rookie Jarrett Allen (career-high 20 points). LA won the rebounding battle by a margin of 56-38 and had 18 offensive boards, leading to 10 more field goal attempts.

Celtics 119 (38-15), Hawks 110 (15-37)

Looking for just their fifth road win of the season, the Hawks showed some life early on as they led for much of the first half. Then, the third quarter happened. Atlanta got cold while Boston got hot, and the Celtics outscored the Hawks by 41-20 in the period to take control. Terry Rozier (31 points, 7 rebounds) had another career game in the absence of Kyrie Irving. Jayson Tatum (27 points, 4 steals) played well on both ends of the floor.

This one was never in doubt. Toronto led by 19 after a monster first quarter and never looked back. DeMar DeRozan needed just 30 minutes to score his 35 points on a night when the Raptors went 19-for-40 from three-point range. Six Raps scored in double figures. Toronto is now 20-4 at home this season, which is the best home record in the NBA.

Damian Lillard (32 points, 10 assists) was the best Blazer all night but — other than Jusuf Nurkic (20 points) and C.J. McCollum (21 points) — he didn’t get much help. Those three accounted for all but 32 of Portland’s total points.

Bucks 92 (28-23), Knicks 90 (23-30)

Despite going just 5-for-25 from beyond the arc, the Knicks held a slim lead down the stretch in Milwaukee before Giannis Antentokounmpo (29 points, 11 rebounds) tied up the game at 90 with two minutes left to play. New York had a pair of great chances to take the lead after that, but Tim Hardaway Jr. missed a pair of free throws and Enes Kanter‘s layup rolled off the rim. That gave Giannis a chance to be the hero, and he took full advantage.

Kanter was great all game, finishing with 17 points and 18 rebounds. But, Hardaway was 1-for-14 from the field and Kristaps Porzingis (17 points, 7 rebounds) struggled with his outside shot, so points weren’t easy to come by for the Knicks. Jabari Parker scored 12 off the bench for Milwaukee in his season debut following his recovery from an ACL tear that kept him out of the lineup since last February.

76ers 103 (25-24), Heat 97 (29-23)

Even an extended 32-11 fourth quarter run by Miami couldn’t help the Heat overcome a rough first 36 minutes on Friday in Philly. The 76ers used a balanced scoring attack — all five starters had 13+ points — to build a huge lead early in the second half. But, Miami didn’t go away, cutting the Philly lead to just five with under two minutes to play. Back-to-back buckets from Ben Simmons (20 points) and Joel Embiid (17 points, 11 rebounds), though, cut down the comeback attempt.

Kelly Olynyk scored 19 points as a reserve to lead the Heat, while Bam Adebayo (15 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists) continued to impress. Miami shot under 40 percent from the field and just 65 percent at the free throw line.

Pelicans 114 (28-23), Thunder 100 (30-23)

New Orleans needed to get back on track following consecutive post-Boogie injury losses to the Clippers and Kings, and getting a W against the Thunder in Oklahoma City certainly helps with that. Most of the work was done by Anthony Davis, who posted a casual 43-point, 10-rebound double-double. E’Twaun Moore — a very sleeper Most Improved candidate — was perfect from three-point range en route to scoring 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting.

Steven Adams (23 points, 12 rebounds) held his own with AD but even he couldn’t stop one of the Association’s most dominant big men. Weak shooting nights from Carmelo Anthony, Paul George and Russell Westbrook (who put together a triple-double, but had nine turnovers) contributed to OKC’s inconsistent offense.

Jazz 129 (23-28), Suns 97 (18-35)

Phoenix didn’t exactly put up much resistance against a determined Utah team, led by super-rookie Donovan Mitchell (40 points on 14-of-19 shooting with 7 threes).

Mitchell is playing like the biggest steal of the entire draft right now and, in all likelihood, is Ben Simmons’ biggest competition for Rookie of the Year. Considering he was traded on draft day to the Jazz from the Nuggets for Trey Lyles, he would be one of the unlikelier ROY winners in recent memory.

Warriors 119 (41-11), Kings 104 (16-35)

After coming back from an early double-digit deficit, the Warriors kept the Kings at bay most of the game but weren’t able to make their big push until midway through the fourth quarter when Sacramento cut the Golden State lead to 89-88. The Warriors rolled off eight straight points to take back control, which is where Kevin Durant (33 points on 17 shots) took over. He scored 10 points in a row — including a pair of threes — to finally bury the Kings.

Nick Young (12 points in 16 minutes) made some big threes off the bench. Sacramento had six players score in double figures, led by Zach Randolph (18 points), but let the Warriors shoot 55 percent from the field and were outrebounded by 18. The Kings did force 25 Golden State turnovers, which let this game stay close for as long as it did.

Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon will miss 6-8 weeks with a partially torn quadriceps tendon, the team announced on Friday. Malcolm Brogdon suffered a left quadricep tendon injury during the second quarter of last night’s game at Minnesota. An MRI revealed a partially torn left quadricep tendon that is expected to sideline him for 6-to-8 weeks. […]

[The Bucks] continue to be mentioned in NBA circles as having eyes for Miami’s Hassan Whiteside.

Its hard to imagine either deal gets done without the inclusion of Parker, so the Bucks getting a chance to see him on the court for a few games before the deadline may go a long way in cementing their decision.

“He progressed really quickly in the early phases of his rehab, which is really nice,” Bucks director of performance Troy Flanagan told the Journal Sentinel. “In the first ACL rehab, he had a fair bit of patellar tendinitis which slowed the whole thing down a little bit even though he did come back reasonably early. We saw a great progression early in this rehab that allowed us to really capitalize on his fitness.

“He’s faster than he’s ever been, he’s stronger than he’s ever been and he’s leaner than he’s ever been. I’m really happy with how he’s come back and his fitness levels. He’ll still need a little bit more game fitness, but we spent the past six weeks trying to give him as much game play as we possibly could. He’ll progress up in minutes fairly quickly.”

Parker’s teammates are thrilled to have him back.

“I’m really excited,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “I know the fans are really excited about that, too. He’s been through this twice in his career and just seeing him every day for the past year working hard and being focused toward his return I think it’s big for him and we’ve all got to embrace the moment. I know he’s really excited. I think when he comes back he’s going to take this team to the next level.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/jabari-parker-make-season-debut-friday/feed/02018 Stacy RevereMILWAUKEE, WI - JANUARY 26: Jabari Parker #12 of the Milwaukee Bucks participates in warmups prior to a game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Bradley Center on January 26, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)Magic Johnson Says Giannis Will Bring Milwaukee ‘A Championship One Day’http://www.slamonline.com/nba/magic-johnson-says-giannis-will-bring-milwaukee-championship-one-day/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/magic-johnson-says-giannis-will-bring-milwaukee-championship-one-day/#respondMon, 29 Jan 2018 20:00:47 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=475950

The 23-year-old Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 28.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game, has garnered comparisons to Johnson due to his size and versatility.

Magic’s response, per ESPN:

Oh yeah. With his ball-handling skills and his passing ability. He plays above the rim I never could do that. But in his understanding of the game, his basketball IQ, his creativity of shots for his teammates. That’s where we [have the] same thing. Can bring it down, make a pass, make a play. I’m just happy he’s starting in the All-Star game because he deserves that. And he’s going to be like an MVP, a champion, this dude he’s going to put Milwaukee on the map. And I think he’s going to bring them a championship one day.

Johnson went on to rave further about Giannis’ unique athleticism and knowledge of the game:

He’s special. A man that can handle the basketball like he can and be a great — he’s probably the greatest athlete we have in the league today. And then his understanding, his basketball IQ is off the chart. He not only can score for himself, but also he can pass that basketball like a point guard. So when you think about all the skills that he has, block shots, rebound, can put the ball on the floor, can score, can assist, can make the pass. We’ve never had anybody in the league like him. And also too, he’s like the number one — he’s right up with LeBron, with KD and Steph [Curry] as the entertainer. He’s an entertainer so people will go see him.

After the Bucks (26-22) beat the Bulls, 110-96, on Sunday, Giannis was informed by ESPN about Magic’s praise:

It’s big, man. A compliment like that coming from Magic, that’s huge. We grew up watching Magic, I personally grew up watching Magic making those passes, all that stuff. Just trying to be Magic. There was a stage when I was younger that I was trying to be Magic, I was trying to smile when I was playing, make all those plays. But a compliment like that from Magic, it’s big. But for me, I just got to stay focused, keep working on my game and try to get better.

And in reply to the comment about delivering a title to Milwaukee:

The craziest thing is that I believe that. But it’s even more believable when other guys see that, like Magic. Especially Magic seeing that, that’s big. Because it’s almost like, “OK, he sees that.” So I’m on the right path, I’ve got to to do what I’m doing.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/magic-johnson-says-giannis-will-bring-milwaukee-championship-one-day/feed/02018 Stacy RevereMILWAUKEE, WI - JANUARY 26: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks walks backcourt prior to a game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Bradley Center on January 26, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)Bucks’ Rookie Sterling Brown Tased, Arrested By Milwaukee Policehttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/bucks-sterling-brown-tased-arrest-milwaukee-police/
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]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/report-lebron-james-upset-cavs-missed-paul-george-eric-bledsoe/feed/02018 NBAESAN ANTONIO, TX - JANUARY 23: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers after he scores his 30,000th career point during the game against the San Antonio Spurs on January 23, 2018 at the AT&amp;T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Darren Carroll/NBAE via Getty Images)Report: Jason Kidd ‘Tried to Trade’ Jabari Parkerhttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/report-jason-kidd-tried-trade-jabari-parker/
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One former Bucks player told me Kidd was “really tough on Jabari when I was there and he shouldn’t have been. He had no reason to do that. Jabari is a good kid.” And another former Bucks player claimed Kidd threw Parker under the bus when, after Parker had talked publicly in general and non-critical terms about a team meeting, Kidd disciplined him by not starting him the next game. Kidd told reporters his decision came after the players voted on the matter.

When I asked a Bucks player a short time after the incident if he voted to have Parker sit at the start of the game, he replied, “What vote?” When I asked another player about the so-called vote, he replied, “Well … it must be true. It was in the paper and whatever you read in the paper is right.” He then started laughing. That incident, several people close to the Bucks said drove a Texas-size wedge between Parker and Kidd.

But don’t believe for a second Kidd had issues solely with Parker, whom sources said he tried to trade even before Parker suffered the first of his two ACL tears. Kidd also butted heads with other players, including [Greg] Monroe.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/giannis-antetokounmpo-offered-save-jason-kidds-job/feed/02017 NBAECHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 1: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks and Jason Kidd during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on November 1, 2017 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)Report: Giannis Antetokounmpo ‘Devastated’ By Jason Kidd’s Firinghttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/giannis-antetokounmpo-devastated-jason-kidd-firing/
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In addition to under-delivering on expectations, Kidd was fired due to “frayed relationships” and “general non-alignment” with the organization, per Wojnarowski.

Bucks made move on Kidd based upon dropping into the 8th seed in the East, frayed relationships in organization and general non-alignment, league sources tell ESPN. Bucks job will be most sought after of offseason, largely because of @Giannis_An34.

Giannis Antetokounmpo says LeBron James would be his first pick in the All-Star draft, adding with a laugh, “so we could have a good relationship for the free agency.”

The NBA recently announced the first returns of the All-Star fan voting, in which Giannis led LeBron by just 7,336 votes.

In new #NBA All-Star format, top vote getter in each conference will be a captain & get to draft his team. I asked @Giannis_An34 who he would select with the first pick. His answer may not surprise you, but his reasoning is classic Giannis: pic.twitter.com/yQUttzgWLm

Ranked second in player efficiency rating, Antetokounmpo is averaging 29.1 points — the second-most in the NBA — 10.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks while leading the Bucks to a 20-16 record heading into Friday’s game against the Toronto Raptors at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

This season, the stakes are higher for the top vote-getter in each conference. Those two players will serve as captains for the 67th All-Star Game, which will be played Feb. 18 in Los Angeles. The captains will first choose from the pool of starters, which are selected by a combination of fan balloting, player votes and media selections. Those captains then will make picks from the reserve pool, which is selected by NBA coaches.

The starters, including the two captains, will be announced Jan. 18 on TNT. The reserves will be unveiled on Jan. 23 on TNT. The next fan voting update will be shared Jan. 11. Voting will conclude at 10:59 p.m. (Central) Jan. 15.

This game had everything, including some controversy to finish things off. After Russell Westbrook hit a long three to tie the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo dunked on Russ just before time expired to win it. But replay showed that the Greek Freak stepped out of bounds on his drive to the basket. The violation was neither called nor reviewed, allowing Milwaukee to escape. Russ had 40 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists to lead the Thunder. Giannis went for 23-and-12 for the Bucks.

The Rockets now have nine losses on the season and five of them have come during this losing streak. This time, it was Otto Porter who did Houston in. He scored 26 points and hit seven of his 11 three-point attempts. Bradley Beal and Kelly Oubre each had 21 as well. James Harden had 20 to lead the Rockets, who will try to get back on track New Year’s Eve against the Lakers at home.

The final margin was 24 points, but the game wasn’t even that close. The Heat scored the first eight points of the game, but Brooklyn took over from there, going ahead by four after the first quarter and 20 by halftime. Joe Harris led seven Nets players in double figures with 21 points, while Josh Richardson had 19 for Miami. As a team, the Heat shot just 34 percent and went 3-26 from three.

The Raptors won their 11th straight at home behind 25 points from DeMar DeRozan. Jonas Valanciunas and Delon Wright each had 13 as well. The Hawks were led by Taurean Prince, who had 30 points (12-16 FG) and 10 rebounds.

If you haven’t heard, this Lauri Markkanen guy is pretty good. The rookie had a career-high 32 points, including five threes, to lead the streaking Bulls to yet another win. Chicago has now won three straight and 10 out of 12 games after a dreadful 3-20 start to the season. Darren Collison had 30 to lead the Pacers.

The Mavericks had a red-hot start and held on to beat the Pelicans. Dallas scored 77 points in the first half on 69 percent shooting from the field, taking a 17-point lead into halftime. Dennis Smith Jr. notched a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists to lead the Mavericks. Anthony Davis had 33 and DeMarcus Cousins had 32-and-20 for the Pelicans.

The Suns closed the game on a 13-2 run to put away a game that was in question until the end. TJ Warren and Devin Booker each had 26 points to lead Phoenix to its third win in four games. The Kings lost their third out of four behind a balanced scoring effort — everyone to play for Sacramento had at least seven points, led by 14 from Zach Randolph.

The surprising result of the night came out west where Dwight Howard led the Hornets to a win at Golden State. Dwight had 29 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. The Warriors, who committed 17 turnovers, were led by Kevin Durant‘s 27 points. Don’t worry, Warriors fans — Steph is coming back soon.

Blake Griffin had 24 points and Lou Williams had 23 more as the Clippers beat the Lakers in a battle of L.A. teams. The Lakers, still without Lonzo Ball, got 20 points and eight assists from Jordan Clarkson off the bench. They have now lost eight of their last nine games.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/post-up-watch-your-step/feed/02017 NBAEOKLAHOMA CITY, OK- DECEMBER 29, 2017: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks handles the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 29, 2017 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)Bucks Win After Missed Out Of Bounds Call In Final Secondshttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/bucks-thunder-out-of-bounds-video/
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The Bucks and Thunder gave fans everything they could have wanted on Friday. Russell Westbrook and Malcolm Brogdon each had rim-rattling dunks, Russ scored 40, and the game came down to the final seconds. RUSS!!! (via @okcthunder) pic.twitter.com/gPT64oF2b8 — SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) December 30, 2017 Milwaukee ended up winning, 97-95, but it was not without […]

The Bucks and Thunder gave fans everything they could have wanted on Friday. Russell Westbrook and Malcolm Brogdon each had rim-rattling dunks, Russ scored 40, and the game came down to the final seconds.

The Celtics came back from down 26 to beat the Rockets in truly bizarre fashion. After Boston spent nearly the entire second half eating away at Houston’s lead, Jayson Tatum pulled the Celtics to within one with seven seconds left. Then James Harden committed an offensive foul before the ball was thrown inbounds. Al Horford gave Boston the lead a few seconds later. Then, on the ensuing inbounds, Harden did it again, allowing the Celtics to escape with the win. Kyrie Irving led Boston with 26 points and Harden had 34 to lead the Rockets, who have now lost four in a row.

The Bucks staged a dramatic comeback of their own, beating the Timberwolves after trailing by as many as 20. Milwaukee heard some boos from the hometown crowd Thursday, but responded thanks to 26 points from Eric Bledsoe. The Bucks held Minnesota to a season-low 12 points in the fourth quarter while scoring 27 of their own. Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 to lead the Timberwolves.

The Blazers trailed by 18 in the second half. Then Shabazz Napier took over. The guard scored 20 of his 21 points in the second half, seemingly doing it all in the fourth quarter as Portland staged the final epic comeback of the night. CJ McCollum had 34 to lead the way for Portland, which was playing without Damian Lillard. Joel Embiid had 29 for the 76ers.

The Magic snapped their nine-game losing streak thanks to 19 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds from Elfrid Payton. Marreese Speights had 16 off the bench, 12 of them coming in a row for Orlando, spanning the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth. Tobias Harris had 21 for the Pistons, while Andre Drummond had 17 points and 18 rebounds.

The Spurs improved to 17-2 at home behind 25 points from LaMarcus Aldridge, sending the Knicks to their fourth-straight loss. All five San Antonio starters scored in double figures and the Spurs shot 51 percent for the game. Michael Beasley had 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Knicks.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/post-up-come-back-strong/feed/02017 NBAEBOSTON, MA - DECEMBER 28: Al Horford #42 of the Boston Celtics and Terry Rozier #12 of the Boston Celtics celebrate on the court against the Houston Rockets on December 28, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)Giannis Antetokounmpo Says He’d Have A Million All-Star Votes ‘If Everybody Could Spell ...http://www.slamonline.com/nba/giannis-antetokounmpo-million-all-star-votes-everybody-spell-name/
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“Basketball is my sanctuary,” Parker said following a scrimmage at the Bucks’ practice facility. “I love that I’m getting the chance to play on the court again. That’s one blessing that I won’t take for granted.”

Parker expects to practice with the Herd again, possibly at the team’s facility in Oshkosh, about 90 miles northwest of Milwaukee. He is hoping to be ready for game action with the Bucks sometime in February.

“I’m at the end of the tunnel,” Parker said. “I’m seeing the light and it’s really nice.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/jabari-parker-targeting-february-return/feed/02017 Getty ImagesMILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 23: Jabari Parker #12 of the Milwaukee Bucks speaks with referee James Capers #19 during the second half of a game at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on October 23, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)Post Up: Open Seasonhttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/post-up-open-season/
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It’s been one step forward, one step back for New Orleans this month as the Pellies haven’t won consecutive games since late November. Anthony Davis (37 points, 9 rebounds) and DeMarcus Cousins (26 points, 13 rebounds) keep scoring at will but the bench (just 18 total points) hasn’t been able to pick up where Alvin Gentry’s starters have left off. The 5-for-20 three-point shooting didn’t help either.

Washington has gone through similar struggles with consistency this season, but has now won three of four. The Wizards’ bench is usually a problem too so Mike Scott‘s 24 points in 23 minutes were huge as Bradley Beal (26 points) and John Wall (18 points, 10 assists) paced the starters.

If Scott can be a more reliable scoring threat off the bench, the Wizards are a much more dangerous team. Come playoff-time, when rotations shorten up, he could be a difference-maker.

Kings 101 (10-20), 76ers 95 (14-16)

Philly is obviously a much different team when Joel Embiid doesn’t play, but that shouldn’t negate how troubling the 76ers’ recent slide is. With the loss to Sacramento on Tuesday night, Brett Brown’s club has dropped seven of its last eight games including defeats to the Bulls, Suns and Lakers.

Ben Simmons neared another triple-double (13 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists) on only six shots while Dario Saric, J.J. Redick and Robert Covington (combined 11-for-49 from the field) couldn’t get it going offensively. With that said, Philly held a halftime lead and threatened to pull away multiple times but the Kings — led by Zach Randolph‘s 27 points — kept fighting and moved in front with a big fourth quarter. They got big shot after big shot down the stretch to hold the 76ers off.

Only three Kings hit double digits on the night: Z-Bo, Frank Mason (16 points) and Buddy Hield (24 points). With De’Aaron Fox leaving the game early due to a flare-up of the right quad injury that has been bugging him as of late, Mason took over primary point guard duties in the second half and shined. The Kansas product slipped to the 2nd round in June’s draft but has been great for Sacramento, showing off his athleticism at both ends. Looks like the Kings got a steal with him.

Bucks 119 (16-13), Cavaliers 116 (23-9)

What a crazy game. After the Cavs got off to a quick start with a 34-point first quarter, Milwaukee roared back in the second to take a big lead at the break. The Bucks let Cleveland hang around despite being ahead by 20 early in the fourth. Then, the Cavs started to chip away even with LeBron on the bench as Jeff Green and Dwyane Wade forced the issue at the line and from three-point range to eventually regain the lead with just over five minutes to play.

Milwaukee went back up on a Malcolm Brogdon three which spurred Ty Lue to put LeBron back in. He immediately got to work, drilling a trademark stepback three over Tony Snell to tie the score at 110 a possession before barreling to the rim for a go-ahead three-point play. Snell got his revenge though, hitting a transition three to put the Bucks back on top. After a Kyle Korver miss, LeBron nearly stole a Snell pass that would have set up an end-of-game possession for Cleveland down two but Giannis stole it from him and notched a three-point play of his own to seal the W.

It was another casual 39-point night for LeBron to go with seven assists. Kevin Love also played well, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 boards. Korver and Jae Crowder missed a lot of open looks, combined to go 0-for-9 from beyond the arc. Giannis (27 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists) and Eric Bledsoe (26 points) were great from start to finish for Milwaukee, while Khris Middleton added an 18-point, 10-assist double-double and Brogdon chipped in 16 off the bench.

Dolan, who was a director of the Weinstein Company from mid-2015 to June 2016, “knew of Weinstein’s pattern and practice of predatory sexual conduct toward women from his personal relationship with Weinstein and his position as a director of TWC,” according to the Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday.

The Bucks recently acquired veteran guard Eric Bledsoe from the Phoenix Suns, and now the scuttlebutt around the league is they are making a concerted push to acquire veteran center DeAndre Jordan from the Los Angeles Clippers. […]

Sources said Clipper officials have targeted three Bucks in any deal for Jordan.

One is John Henson, who is currently the team’s starting center, while the others are reigning Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon, who lost his starting spot when Bledsoe came aboard, and standout swingman Khris Middleton.

The Clippers, I’ve been told, are adamant in acquiring at least two of the aforementioned Bucks and may even demand all three of them.

TV cameras caught Giannis Antetokounmpo loudly and profanely telling Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Sean Sweeney that he was going to mess him up Saturday night during a 121-108 road loss to the Utah Jazz.

The All-Star forward downplayed the incident Sunday, and said it’s not the first time the two of them have gotten in each other’s faces.

“That’s what me and Sweeney do,” Antetokounmpo said, later pointing to Sweeney grinning across the gym and remarking that Sweeney is usually loath to crack a smile. “You always fight with your brothers. It’s something common. Me and Sweeney we’re so tight. He always speaks the truth to me and I always speak the truth to him. We’ve done this in the past, just this time it was caught on national TV.

“But me and Sweeney we’re OK, that’s what we do — we fight, we argue, but at the end of the day, we both want to win. I don’t think there’s anybody from this team who wants to win more than Sweeney and me and coach (Jason) Kidd, of course.”

Sweeney joined the Bucks in 2014 when Kidd was hired as head coach. Since then, he and Antetokounmpo have been virtually joined at the hip. Sweeney guides Antetokounmpo through film study, goes with him to practice at any hour of the day and pushes Milwaukee’s young star every chance he gets.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/giannis-antetokounmpo-downplays-cursing-bucks-assistant-coach/feed/02017 Gene Sweeney Jr.SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOVEMBER 25: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on against the Utah Jazz in the second half of the 121-108 win by the Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on November 25, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)Kevin Garnett: Thon Maker to Win MVP ‘One Day’http://www.slamonline.com/nba/kevin-garnett-thon-maker-win-mvp-one-day/
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KG: “Thon Maker reminds me a lot of myself. He loves the game. He’s a young, exuberant athlete who has a lot of tools—he has touch; he has agility; he has really, good feet. He has a really good shot from three-point all the way up to 19 to 21 feet. He has very good bones, as we say.

“Thon is going to be the MVP of the league one day. Mark it down. He has the bones. He has the appetite to be able to chase something like that.”

“Blindsided,” Monroe said after finishing his first post-practice workout with the Suns. “I honestly didn’t have any clue. But it’s what we signed up for. It could happen to anyone at any moment. My job is to play, that’s what I try to focus on and that’s really it.

“I was surprised, I was just trying to get healthy, get back on the floor and help that team. Now that I’m here, I’ll do the same here. And if it’s somewhere else, I’ll do the same there. My focus doesn’t change; it’s a business and I’m a player so I just try to play.”

The deal, which was finalized on Tuesday, sent Monroe to Phoenix along with protected first- and second-round picks. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier this week that the Suns are hoping to flip the final year of Monroe’s expiring deal before moving forward in potential buyout talks. Monroe said he had a brief conversation about his future with general manager Ryan McDonough.

“I talked to him quickly,” Monroe said. “I just told him I understand the plan they have in place, how they want to approach the season. I told him if you want me to play, I’ll always play. I’ll never be one not to want to play. If not, we’ll just work together, find the best option for everyone. but I’m more than happy to play here. So we’ll just continue to talk and see what happens.”

“I felt like with where the team was headed, it was time for me to move on,” he said. “They’ve got an amazing, young, talented team, and I feel like it was time for me to find a better situation for my career. It had nothing to do with anything the Suns had going on. I made the decision that this was best for me.”

Last season, the Suns shut down Bledsoe, their starting point guard, for the final 15 games in hopes of improving their draft chances. Phoenix ended up getting the fourth pick in the 2017 draft and used it to select Josh Jackson out of Kansas.

“I felt like it was time [to leave], especially when they sat me down last year,” Bledsoe said. “It gave me a better picture, a more clearer picture of what I needed to do.”

“I think this was the right deal because we were able to add someone that’s dynamic, another dynamic player that can score the ball, that can play-make for others, that has defensive toughness, athleticism and strength,” general manager Jon Horst said.

“And we were able to do that with effectively giving up one of the pieces of our core, as we’ve talked about publicly. Also, the Bucks DNA thing we’ve talked about is real. He is a high-character guy, highly talented, he has positional versatility, he can play on the ball and off the ball and he’s got great toughness.”

Monroe, 27, has been out since Oct. 26 with a left calf strain. He is on an expiring contract making $17.9 million this season. Bledsoe has two years remaining on his deal, making $14.5 million this season and $15 million next season.

“It hopefully helps us. I think we’re excited, Eric’s excited,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “On the other side of that coin is Moose did everything we asked him to help us win, from being a starter to being asked to go to the bench and help us have a stronger bench. He’s going to be missed.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/eric-bledsoe-reportedly-traded-bucks/feed/02017 NBAEGiannis Antetokounmpo: ‘I Don’t Know If I Could Be The Same Player’ in L.A. or Miamihttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/giannis-antetokounmpo-flashy-cities-los-angeles-miami/
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“He is the [Mike] Tyson of basketball,” Kidd, a former star point guard himself, said before the Bucks lost 110-91 to Westbrook’s Oklahoma City Thunder. “When the jump ball [goes up], he is coming as Tyson did [in getting] off the stool. When the bell rings, he’s coming for you. Whenever he’s on the floor, he plays at one speed, and that’s fast and hard. He’s a little different in that case that he’s probably the only [No.] 1, and then I would put [at] 1B in that same category John Wall. Just that speed of coming at you every time you’re on the floor. There is no kind of walking the ball up; they are coming at you and causing problems.”

Kidd was very complimentary of Westbrook and his playing style. The pair exchanged a quick handshake and greetings before Tuesday’s game.

“He’s the best in the game,” Kidd said of Westbrook, the reigning league MVP. “Puts a lot of pressure on your defense, offensively and defensively. For him, he can make the adjustment, play with talented guys like [Paul] George and Melo [Carmelo Anthony]. For him, his game doesn’t change. He puts a lot of pressure offensively on that break, just finding the open guy and making the game easy.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/jason-kidd-calls-russell-westbrook-mike-tyson-basketball/feed/02017 Dylan BuellMILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 31: at Bradley Center on October 31, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)Khris Middleton Drills Steven Adams With Ball, Both Get T’d Uphttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/khris-middleton-steven-adams-fight/
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Adams gave the ball to Middleton. Middleton threw it right back at him.

Steven Adams might be the No. 1 guy on the list of NBA players you shouldn’t mess with. Everyone knows his story — the 7-footer, one of 18 siblings, had a rough upbringing in his native New Zealand — and that he has become one of the most feared dudes in the Association.

That didn’t stop Khris Middleton from drilling Adams with the ball after the Thunder big man seemed to innocuously give it to him after a Paul George three.

Both were assessed a technical foul for the dustup. Luckily for Middleton, a ref was there to break up the altercation before it got any more physical. The pair tangled up down under the basket while PG knocked down his shot which is probably why Middleton pegged the rock at a dude he gives up four inches and 30 odd pounds to.

Whatever the cause, it must have riled Adams and the Thunder up as OKC cruised to a blowout win. Lesson: Don’t get Steven Adams angry.

Antetokounmpo also had 11 rebounds and five assists. He went 14 for 21 from the field, scoring from all over the floor while helping Milwaukee to its third win in its last four games.

“We came out, and Giannis was really aggressive,” Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon said. “He got us off to a good start offensively and on the defensive end. We followed his lead.”

Antetokounmpo, the NBA’s scoring leader with a 34.7 average, had 13 of Milwaukee’s first 20 points. Coach Jason Kidd rested him until midway through the second quarter, when his hard dunk made it 59-41.

What are the Bucks willing to surrender as compensation for Bledsoe? According to several NBA sources, it would likely be a combination of players with reigning Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon being the major one. […]

But sources claim the Bucks are somewhat reluctant to trade Brogdon, whose all-around game, unselfishness and maturity have meshed nicely with Antetokounmpo and Middleton.

Ask Bucks officials to pinpoint the reasons for Antetokounmpo’s rise, and the answers are similar. They begin with his work ethic. “It’s right up there with LeBron’s, with Kobe’s,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd told The Vertical. “He lives in the gym.”

The Bucks have mined Antetokounmpo’s talents masterfully. It began in 2013, when then-coach Larry Drew played Antetokounmpo 25 minutes per game, a trial by fire that team officials say accelerated his development. Kidd has guided him to the next level. He has shown tough love (benching him in 2015) and empowered him (making him a part-time point guard last season), pushing him to become an unstoppable, two-way player.

“He can be Magic Johnson and KG [Kevin Garnett],” Kidd told The Vertical. “When he puts his mind to it, he can do everything defensively.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/jason-kidd-giannis-antetokounmpo-can-be-magic-johnson-and-kg/feed/02017 Getty ImagesMILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 23: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks waits on the sideline during player introductions prior to a game against the Charlotte Hornets at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on October 23, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)Post Up: Triple-Double Simmonshttp://www.slamonline.com/blogs/postup/triple-double-ben-simmons/
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Ben Simmons records his first career triple-double, Giannis makes history & more from Monday.

He used a permanent marker to sign the ball and wrote these words upon it below his signature:

“This is for Daddy we got a win tonight and I got 44 points”

Giannis’ father, Charles, died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 54 on Sept. 29.

“It’s special,” Antetokounmpo said of receiving the ball from his teammates and dedicating it to his father. “Going forward I think that motivates me on a daily basis just playing hard for my family, especially for my dad because he loved to see us play. This is just the beginning. I’m not done yet. We’ve got 79 more games plus playoffs, hopefully. It’s just the beginning. Hopefully, he’s seeing us from above and he’s proud of us.”

New York had a double-digit lead heading into the second half, but the Pistons managed to regain the lead early in the fourth quarter. Long Island native Tobias Harris led the way with 31 points for Detroit.

Spurs 87 (2-0), Bulls 77 (0-2)

If you follow the Bulls, there’s very little doubt that they’re the worst team in the League right now. Finnish rookie Lauri Markkanen is legit, but the rest of the team wouldn’t crack a rotation on most NBA squads (RoLo excluded).

LaMarcus Aldridge dropped 28 and 10 before the game mercifully came to an end.

Mavs 91 (0-3), Rockets 107 (3-0)

No contest. The Rockets led by as much as 36 points, and that’s without Chris Paul. They’re very good.

James Harden had 29 points and 7 dimes.

Warriors 101 (1-2), Grizzlies 111 (2-0)

Memphis attacked the Warriors in the paint, outscoring them 48-36. Golden State also shot just 39.3 percent from the field.

Marc Gasol (37 points, 14 rebounds) was assertive on offense, and when he does that, amazing highlights happen.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had his way with the Celtics on Wednesday night, hanging 37 points on Boston for their second loss in a row, and helped lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 108-100 season-opening victory.

Antetokounmpo had 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, and added 13 rebounds.

Kyrie Irving struggled on his way to 17 points, shooting an ugly 7-for-25 in his Boston debut.

Giannis Antetokounmpo dribbled into the paint, spun to his left and found his path to the basket blocked by Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum.

Instead, the Greek Freak fed the ball to Matthew Dellavedova beyond the arc for the 3-pointer that helped seal Milwaukee’s 108-100 victory over the Boston Celtics in the Bucks’ season opener on Wednesday night.

“I passed the ball to Delly,” said Antetokounmpo, who had 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter— and the biggest assist of the game, as well. “And that’s what Delly does.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/giannis-antetokounmpo-dominates-celtics-37-points/feed/02017 Getty ImagesBOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 18: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles against the Boston Celtics during the second quarter at TD Garden on October 18, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)Post Up: Giannis Antetokounmpo goes off in Bostonhttp://www.slamonline.com/blogs/postup/post-up-giannis-antetokounmpo-goes-off-in-boston/
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Bucks 108 (1-0), Celtics 100 (0-2) It was an emotional night in Boston as the Celtics were still reeling from Gordon Hayward’s frightening injury on Tuesday. Hayward spoke to the crowd at TD Garden before the game in a pre-recorded video, telling fans and teammates he was going to be OK. His teammates did their […]

Those were two of his 37 points and he was crucial in helping his team overcome a 14-2 Boston run that put the Celtics up six with nine minutes to go. The Bucks outscored the Celtics 28-14 the rest of the way.

It was the second straight loss for a Celtics team that is nevertheless still filled with talent and potential. Jaylen Brown had 18 and Kyrie Irving had 17 for Boston.

Magic 116 (1-0), Heat 109 (0-1)

The Magic led 97-80 with 9:58 to play. Seven minutes later, it was a two-point game.

Evan Fournier had seven points over the final 2:27 to make sure the Magic did not squander the lead completely, as the Magic held on to beat their in-state foes and start the season on a winning note. Fournier led the Magic with 23 points, while Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and 13 rebounds. Hassan Whiteside had 26 to lead Miami.

Pistons 102 (1-0), Hornets 90 (0-1)

With a little help from Eminem, the Pistons opened their season with a hard-fought win over the Hornets.

Wall finished with 27 points, while Marcin Gortat was a monster inside. He had 16 points and 17 boards.

The youthful Sixers were in it until the end. They used a 17-6 second quarter run to erase an early deficit and go into the locker room up three. The kids all shined for Philadelphia — Ben Simmons had 18 and 10, Joel Embiid had 18 and 13, and last year’s No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz came off the bench to add 10 more. The veterans did their part as well, namely JJ Reddick, who shot 4-8 from three and Robert Covington, who was 7-11 from long range and scored a game-high 29.

Grizzlies 103 (1-0), Pelicans 91 (0-1)

Dillon Brooks had 19 points in his NBA debut to help lift the Grizzlies to a season-opening victory.

Perhaps the highlight of the night, however, wasn’t anything that happened on the court. The Grizzlies gave Pelicans guard Tony Allen a special tribute between the first and second quarters, thanking him for his seven years in Memphis.

The usual suspects were at it again for the Pelicans: Anthony Davis had 33 points and 18 rebounds, and DeMarcus Cousins had 28 and 10.

Pacers 140 (1-0), Nets 131 (0-1)

Defense was optional in Indianapolis as the Pacers and Nets opened their seasons with a back-and-forth shootout. 10 Pacers saw action and eight scored in double figures, including Myles Turner, who had a double-double with 21 and 14, to go with four blocks.

D’Angelo Russell led all scorers with 30 points on 12-22 shooting with five assists.

For Brooklyn, however, an apparent knee injury to Jeremy Lin is much more of a concern than the first-night loss. Lin fell on a layup attempt and needed to be helped to the locker room. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Lin will be evaluated Thursday.

Brooklyn’s Jeremy Lin will undergo evaluation of right knee in New York Thursday, league source tells ESPN. Tremendous concern on injury.

That was two of Joe Johnson’s 13 points off the bench and it was the beginning of a comeback that carried into the fourth quarter, where the Jazz outscored the Nuggets 28-13. Utah took the lead for good on a three from Alec Burks with just under 10 minutes to play.

Rudy Gobert had 18 to lead the Jazz, while Will Barton had 23 for the Nuggets.

Spurs 107 (1-0), Timberwolves 99 (0-1)

The 2017-18 edition of the LaMarcus Aldridge Show tipped off with a flourish, as he scored 25 points to go with 10 rebounds and four assists. Perhaps no play, however, quite as impressive as this one:

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/blogs/postup/post-up-giannis-antetokounmpo-goes-off-in-boston/feed/02017 NBAEBOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 18: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots the ball against the Boston Celtics on October 18, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Steve Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)Kevin Durant: Giannis Antetokounmpo May Become the G.O.A.T.http://www.slamonline.com/nba/kevin-durant-giannis-antekokounmpo-may-become-g-o-t/
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“That’s just who I am. The Greek Freak I think is a force, and I’ve never seen anything like him. And his ceiling is probably—he could end up being the best player to ever play if he really wanted to. That’s pretty scary to think about. But he’s by far my favorite player to watch.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/kevin-durant-giannis-antekokounmpo-may-become-g-o-t/feed/02016 NBAEMilwaukee, WI - NOVEMBER 19: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks dunks the ball against Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors during a game on November 19, 2016 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)Report: Bucks, Richard Jefferson Have Mutual Interesthttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/report-bucks-richard-jefferson-mutual-interest/
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Milwaukee is $2.5 million below the luxury tax threshold. Jefferson’s minimum veterans’s salary is $2.3 million — with a $1.5 million salary cap hit. If the Bucks claimed Jefferson off waivers, his salary would put the team $5,000 over the luxury tax.

Jefferson has a strong history with Bucks coach Jason Kidd. They played together for seven seasons, including two trips to the NBA Finals, with the Nets. Jefferson has played 16 NBA seasons — including with the Bucks in 2008-09 — averaging 12.8 points for his career. He was part of the Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA championship team, and he averaged 5.7 points in 20 minutes per game for Cleveland in 2016-17.

Milwaukee has been working to trade several players to clear salary-cap space, including guard Rashad Vaughn and center John Henson, league sources said. The Bucks have been willing to attach a second-round pick in offers for Vaughn, league sources said.

On a sandy stretch of about 200 yards, George and other [Ryan] Capretta clients do interval workouts, sprints, plyometric movements.

“It’s called a sand dune, but it’s basically like a sand mountain,” Capretta said in a phone interview last week. “You’re racing up this hill, and it’s an a**-kicker. It crushes you.”

That’s been the gist of the summer of George.

“About a week” after the Pacers lost to the Cavaliers in the NBA Playoffs, Capretta said, George was at the Proactive facility in Westlake Village. Weeks before he was traded to the Thunder, George was formulating a plan to attack his offseason.

“He’s thoroughly excited for the season,” Capretta said. “He’s getting a fresh start. He’s got a lot of confidence in what (the Thunder) are gonna do. When you talk to him about it, he lights up.”

Parker, whose name has appeared in trade rumors this summer, put up averages of 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists while shooting 49 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point land before tearing his ACL in mid-February.

October 16 is the deadline for rookie scale contract extensions, and the Milwaukee Bucks are on the clock.

Per the Racine Journal Times:

If the Bucks had a better record at the time, most observers believe the 6-foot-8 Parker – the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft – would have joined his teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo at the All-Star Game in New Orleans.

But Parker’s stellar season was prematurely cut short at 51 games when he tore the left anterior cruciate ligament for the second time in his young career.

Since then Parker has been diligently rehabbing and, by all accounts, is on target to returning to action this season, quite possibly in February. Parker and the Bucks have publicly expressed confidence he’ll return to old form and be as good, or even better, than he was prior to the second injury setback.

With salaries having skyrocketed over the summer, thanks in large measure to an extremely lucrative television contract, multiple sources claim Parker will be seeking a contract similar to the one he expected to receive prior to his latest injury – a max contract of five years for anywhere between $146 million (25 percent of the salary cap) to $175M (30 percent of the cap).

The Bucks were reportedly approached to facilitate a trade, but ultimately, nothing progressed.

One name that came up in those (very) preliminary talks? Bucks forward Jabari Parker, per league sources.

It’s unclear which side — the Knicks or Bucks — brought up Parker’s name. What is clear is that Parker would have been part of an outgoing package that included a larger Bucks contract, such as John Henson’s or Greg Monroe’s.

If that deal had come to fruition, the Knicks would have received the type of return they’d long hoped for in an Anthony trade: a young player on a below-market contract in Parker.

Expectations for the Greek Freak, coming from former and current NBAers, continue to grow.

Per NBA.com:

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said he was “waiting” for a challenge from Kobe Bryant last week after the former NBA star tweeted challenges to Isaiah Thomas and DeMar DeRozan as part of his Mamba Mentality promotion with Nike.

This challenge looks within reach for the long-armed Antetokounmpo, who averaged 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.6 steals last season to become the first player since LeBron James in 2008-09 to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks for an entire season. Antetokounmpo finished eighth in Kia NBA MVP voting for 2016-17.

“I cheated the game for three or four years. I want to give my all back. I want to prove I’m a professional, low-maintenance guy.” […]

“I felt like I let [the Bucks] down, cheated them for two years. They paid me $8 million to be, in my eyes, a subpar player. They invested millions of dollars for me to be on top of my s—, and when you’re not on top of your s—, it shows.” […]

“I’m far from crazy. I’ve made some crazy a– decisions, but I’m not crazy. I’m good with myself. I’m comfortable with my body. I dug myself a hole, but it’s not a coffin. I can still get out.”

The Miwaukee Bucks have reportedly entered the Kyrie Irving trade sweepstakes, but to no one’s surprise, Giannis Antetokounmpo is strictly off-limits. The Cleveland Cavaliers are fielding multiple offers for their All-Star point guard, but have yet to find a deal that makes sense. How Cleveland's uncertainty over LeBron James' future is impacting the Kyrie Irving […]

Milwaukee has shown interest in Irving, too, league sources said, but there isn’t that one young star — of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo is untouchable — who makes sense for Cleveland.

When Irving’s trade request became public in mid-July, there was internal hope that the news would stir the market to furnish Cleveland with a return that could deliver impact to the 2017-18 season with James, as well as the possibility of a future without him. That hasn’t happened, and it’s become clear that Irving isn’t commanding that kind of robust return on the market.

Between now and the inevitable Irving trade, Cleveland officials will make a choice on what the franchise values most — its today or its tomorrow. Without a commitment to stay, without the presumption of a future together, LeBron James could be left in a most unfamiliar position: out of championship contention in Cleveland, counting the days until goodbye.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/report-giannis-antetokounmpo-untouchable-kyrie-irving-trade/feed/02014 Getty ImagesCLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 2: Kyrie Irving #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots over Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena on December 2, 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Bucks 111-108. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)Milwaukee Bucks Unveil New Nike Uniforms For 2017-18 Seasonhttp://www.slamonline.com/media/photos/milwaukee-bucks-nike-uniforms-2017-18-season-harley-davidson/
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The Milwaukee Bucks have released their new Nike uniforms for the 2017-18 season via their Twitter account and teamwebsite and they feature an ad patch from Harley Davidson, the team’s new sponsor.

Other than the patch on the left shoulder and Nike swoosh on the right shoulder, both pairs of jerseys and shorts look very similar to what the Bucks were wearing last season. The Bucks’ Icon uniforms are in their traditional green with white letters/numbers and “Bucks” across the front while the Association uniforms are white with green letters/numbers and “Milwaukee” across the front.

A notable change is the elimination of the alternate M logo on the middle of the collar, which was present in both of Milwaukee’s standard uniforms for the 2016-17 season.

Despite being the 2016 ACC Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American in his final season at Virginia, Malcolm Brogdon slipped to the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft, where he was picked No. 36 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks. All he did in his rookie season with the upstart Bucks was mess around and win the Rookie of the Year award. No biggie.

Now, he’s helping to promote the Dew NBA 3X, the United States’ first-ever nationwide three-on-three basketball competition, which heads to D.C. this weekend. Previous stops of the tour took place in Chicago, Miami and New York, with San Francisco (August 26-27) and Los Angeles (September 30-October 1) upcoming. The winning men’s and women’s teams will each earn $2,000 and will advance to the Finals in L.A., with the chance to win $20,000.

We spoke with Brogdon about his involvement with Dew NBA 3X, his surprising rookie season and his expectations for the Bucks going forward.

SLAM: Did you ever think you’d go from being a second round pick to winning Rookie of the Year?

Malcolm Brogdon: I have a lot of confidence in myself and the work that I’ve put in. A lot of it is out of your control, it depends what team you end up with. Fortunately, Coach Kidd and the Bucks gave me a great opportunity and I ran with it.

SLAM: What are your goals for the Bucks this season?

MB: We want to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. I think the sky is the limit for us—we’re young, athletic and we love playing together. I think we have the recipe for success.

SLAM: The Cavaliers are going through an interesting situation right now with Kyrie Irving asking to be traded. As a team, do you guys talk about that type of news often or do you try to focus on yourselves?

MB: You have to at least pay attention to it. We’re in this basketball world all the time, and we want to know who we’re going to be playing and how we’re going to match up against them.

SLAM: Anything specific you’ve been working on this offseason?

MB: I’m a guy that has always prided myself on being the most versatile guy on the court, having no weaknesses. I went into this offseason just wanting to get better at everything overall.

SLAM: What do you think of Dew NBA 3X and 3-on-3 basketball in general?

MB: I’m expecting a lot of fans to come out and show support. This league is all about allowing people to come together after the NBA season is over to watch some competitive basketball. Seeing that 3-on-3 is going to be in the Olympics in 2020, I think the league is doing a good job of promoting it.

SLAM: What role do you see the NBA playing in supporting offseason 3-on-3?

MB: I definitely think the NBA will probably hold the torch in terms of attracting the most fans. I think the 3-on-3 is going to gain a lot of traction. It’s important that it stays in a different season so it can garner as much fan support as the NBA does.

According to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, Milwaukee could be focused on clearing cap space in order to accommodate Tony Snell’s four-year, $44 million contract.

According to sources, the Bucks are still actively trying to trade veteran centers Greg Monroe and John Henson, two players who have seen their roles with the team diminish. […]

An indication the Bucks are still exploring their trade options is the status of Tony Snell’s contract.

Snell and the Bucks agreed to a four-year, $44M deal at the start of free agency when the swingman became an unrestricted free agent. But sources said the contract has yet to be submitted to the league office in New York.

It’s possible we look at this offseason and think, yeah it wasn’t great, but things got better if another one of their draft picks hit and [Tony] Snell improves a bit. Plus, Giannis himself has said multiple times he wants to stay in Milwaukee and win a championship. Jon Horst and co. have time to get back on their feet, brush off the dirt and make it happen. The cap will alleviate a bit when [Greg] Monroe and [Spencer] Hawes are off the books plus [Mirza] Teletovic will be an expiring next year that may prove more enticing to other suitors.

Personally, I think it’s way too early to overreact to this and I believe Giannis will stay. Yes, there’s the possibility I’m completely wrong, and you can cc OldTakesExposed and tell me I’m wrong later as I sit and drink myself to sadness while Giannis walks. But at the moment, let’s take a deep breath, put the hot take tweet in your drafts, look at the clock and realize four years is a very long time.

Also, let’s remember Giannis ended tonight by dismantling this atomic bomb with a single Kendrick reference…

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/giannis-antetokounmpo-got-loyalty-inside-dna/feed/02017 Getty ImagesMILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 22: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks walks onto the court before the start of the game against the Toronto Raptors during the first half of Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2017 NBA Playoffs at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on April 22, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Giannis AntetokounmpoTony Snell Agrees to 4-Year, $46 Million Deal With Buckshttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/tony-snell-agrees-4-year-46-million-deal-bucks/
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“I don’t want to sound cocky, but I have the highest possible goals. I want to be a champion with the Bucks, I want to be the MVP, I want to be part of the best 50 of all time and then I want to be the best ever who played the game.”

(The Greek national squad was the last to beat the U.S., in a 101-95 upset in the semis of the 2006 World Championships.)

Per the AP:

“I’ll be the next one to beat them. I’ll be waiting for them somewhere,” the Milwaukee Bucks star said before leading a team in an exhibition game involving Greek and foreign players before 15,000 fans at the Athens Olympic Arena on Sunday.

On Sunday, the 2005-06 Greece team — European champions in 2005 and runners-up to Spain at the 2006 Worlds — played a side which included brothers Giannis and Thanassis Antetokounmpo, and American Euroleague star Kyle Hines. The Greek veterans, mostly in their late 30s and early 40s, prevailed 92-91 thanks to better shooting and plenty more steals, with the crowd rewarded with some spectacular dunks from the Antetokounmpo brothers.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/giannis-antetokounmpo-want-best-ever/feed/02017 NBAEMilwaukee, WI - APRIL 27: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks handles the ball against the Toronto Raptors during Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2017 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)Orlando Magic Name John Hammond New GMhttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/orlando-magic-name-john-hammond-new-gm/
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Weltman and Hammond should complement each other well. Although Weltman has 28 seasons of NBA experience, he has never led a basketball operations department until now. But Hammond headed the Bucks’ basketball operations department for the last nine years.

Hammond won the NBA Executive of the Year Award for the 2009-10 season, and the Bucks reached the playoffs four times during his tenure, including this past season.

To borrow a phrase from the world of politics, the addition of Hammond is akin to balancing a ticket.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/orlando-magic-name-john-hammond-new-gm/feed/02010 NBAEMILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 24: General Manager John Hammond of the Milwaukee Bucks speaks to the media after receiving the 2009-10 NBA Executive of the Year Award during a press conference on April 24, 2010 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2010 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)WATCH: Norman Powell Dunks All Over the Bucks in Game 5http://www.slamonline.com/nba/watch-norman-powell-dunks-bucks-game-5/
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Giannis, it’s been a great year for you, validating a big salary bump with superstar play. You’ve been doing it all for your team, putting together elements of frontcourt and backcourt play like an alchemist synthesizing gold. And so the perfect book for you is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It is a tale of a young boy on an international adventure, from humble to suddenly magical and grand. Sounds a little bit like your life story.

It wasn’t that long ago you were living in Greece working as a street merchant. Your rise was swift and now you’re a 6-11 PG being coached by one of the great NBA wizards, scoring 30 in an All-Star Game. In The Alchemist, a boy named Santiago experiences such a journey. He goes from being a shepherd in Andalusia to a treasure hunter underneath the pyramids of Egypt. Santiago is on a quest to develop his personal legend, as are you. To complete this journey, he must look within and face what may seem like insurmountable odds. Giannis, wherever this season takes you, if you are able to carry Milwaukee deep into the playoffs, the best you can hope for is a chance to compete against the mighty king LeBron who has owned the Eastern Conference’s NBA Finals spot since 2011. Santiago faced a similar challenge. There is much for you to learn, and by reading Coelho’s novel, you may find the inspiration you need.

—

Sam Rubenstein is a SLAM contributing writer and a high school English teacher in Brooklyn. Follow him on Twitter @SamRubenstein.

Giannis Antetokounmpo did his thing against Philadelphia tonight- dropping 20 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists en route to a postseason berth for Milwaukee. Currently locked in as the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed, there’s a chance Milwaukee could overtake Atlanta for the fifth seed.

“It’s one of those nights, a special night, and something I definitely will never forget,” he said. “I’m just truly honored to do it here, especially in Oklahoma City.”

Westbrook finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists to help the Thunder beat the Milwaukee Bucks 110-79. He clinched his seventh straight triple-double on an assist to Taj Gibson with 9:17 left in the third quarter.

“It’s something that I could never dream about growing up in the inner city of Los Angeles,” he said. “I never dreamed about a moment like this, to be able to be on this stage.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/jason-kidd-russell-westbrook-cheated-no-mvp/feed/02017 NBAEOKLAHOMA CITY, OK- APRIL 4: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder waves to the crowd after the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 4, 2017 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)Post Up: Playoffs Taking Shapehttp://www.slamonline.com/blogs/postup/post-up-playoffs-taking-shape-2017/
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Karl-Anthony Towns scored 37 points and Ricky Rubio hit three free throws with under four seconds left in regulation, giving Minnesota the edge in a come-from-behind victory. Paul George, who went off for 37 points, was none too pleased with his teammates after the game.

“To be honest, man, I don’t think I got the ball enough down the stretch,” George said. “I was pissed. That’s really the only way to sum it up. This locker room isn’t pissed off enough. There’s no urgency or winning pride right now.”

The Hawks ran into Phoenix at just the right time. Atlanta entered Tuesday having dropped each of their last seven, a streak they happily snapped against the tanking Suns. Dennis Schroder led all scorers with 27 points, and Ersan lyasova (filling in for the injured Paul Millsap) added 18.

76ers 106 (28-46), Nets 101 (16-58)

This one wasn’t pretty- neither team managed to shoot over 42.9%- but Philadelphia emerged victorious in a battle of rebuilding teams. Dario Saric and Robert Covington had 23 and 21 points, respectively, while Brook Lopez dropped 26 for Brooklyn.

Warriors 113 (60-14), Rockets 106 (51-23)

The Dubs obtained their eighth straight victory thanks to 32 points for Stephen Curry, 25 for Klay Thompson, and 19p/9r from Draymond Green. James Harden did his thing, recording an impressive 24p/13a/11r triple-double, while Clint Capela added 21. The Rockets showed grit, battling back from Golden State’s 37-point first quarter, but the damage had been done early.

Trail Blazers 122 (36-38), Nuggets 113 (35-39)

That Jusuf Nurkic trade is looking pretty good right about now. Playing against his former team, the Bosnian Beast went for a career-high 33 points with 16 rebounds. Between Nurkic’s line with C.J. McCollum‘s 39 points, and the Blazers had little trouble putting this one away in the second half (outscoring Denver 56-49). With the win, Portland claimed the eighth seed of the Western Conference.

Wizards 119 (46-28), Lakers 108 (21-53)

John Wall scored 34 points with 14 dimes, to go with 16 points apiece from Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. in Washington’s division-clinching road win. In addition to clinching the Southeast division, the Wizards are still in the mix for the first seed, trailing Boston by two games. Despite the loss, L.A. managed to shoot a combined 50.6% from the field, featuring 28 points from D’Angelo Russell and 22 from Jordan Clarkson.

Walton claimed that a member of the Bucks’ security staff shoved Brandon Ingram during the exchange.

“And then watching the tape,” said Walton, “one of their employees is on the floor, and he grabs Brandon by the jersey and shoves him—not holding him back, shoves him—and that doesn’t get addressed either?

“If there’s nothing wrong with that, then I have no problem finding some people to hire on our staff.”

Walton also took issue with the ref’s decision to punish D’Angelo Russell with the same penalty as Greg Monroe, who delivered a fierce shove to Nick Young’s neck.

“So for the NBA to say that the two of them did the same thing and just canceled each other out is absolute crap to me because D’Angelo just shoved [Monroe] in the back; Monroe grabbed [Young] by the neck.

“I don’t know if he was mad that [Ivica] Zubac was kicking his butt all night long out there. But you grab someone by the neck? That’s not right. And then Monroe went and slapped Brandon in the face.

“So he did all that and he got the same penalty as when D’Angelo did it for shoving someone in the back that was a teammate. So that’s crap to me.”

Before the Bucks grabbed the 107-103 win over the Lakers, Nick Young and Greg Monroe got a little heated. It started with Young going after Bucks rookie Malcolm Brogdon. Young shoved the 24-year-old. Monroe, the seven-year vet, didn’t take kindly to that. He pushed Young, which then made all refs and teammates step in. D’Angelo Russell, Monroe and Young were ejected. Check it out up top.

Jabari recovered strongly from a devastating injury in his rookie season, playing in 76 games in 2015-’16 and in 51 games this season.

Per the Journal Sentinel:

“Attitude is longitude,” Parker said. “That’s for everybody in life. If you think a certain way, you’re going to be down. But if you are seeing it that the glass is halfway full, things are going to work out.”

“It’s going to be fun, to tell you the truth,” Parker said of his recovery program. “I love challenges. I love being in the position I am. I didn’t really feel like talking, but I feel like God has given me this for a reason because he knows I can handle it. So I take that burden, because I know a lot of people can’t go through this.”

“I don’t want to be the same player,” Parker said. “I wouldn’t be myself if I don’t challenge myself to do better things, bigger things. I know I can be better.”

The 28-year-old former MVP is a big fan of Bucks head coach Jason Kidd:

“Of course this is like home,” Rose told The Post before the Knicks 104-93 loss to the Bucks Wednesday. “Only an hour-thirty away. Easy for [family] to come but they usually don’t come.”

Rose, who racked up 26 points on 13-of-16 shooting in a bonanza performance from mid-range, never has been a free agent and said he isn’t sure how the process will go but acknowledged Milwaukee is a good spot. His family and 4-year-old son all live in Chicago.

Kidd was a beast for the Nets when Rose was in high school. […] “I watched him even in college — my family is a basketball family,” Rose said. “We’re all basketball heads.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/derrick-rose-to-consider-milwaukee-in-free-agency/feed/02017 NBAEMilwaukee, WI - MARCH 8: Derrick Rose #25 of the New York Knicks goes for a lay up against the Milwaukee Bucks during the game on March 8, 2017 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)Jabari Parker Undergoes Season-Ending Knee Surgeryhttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/jabari-parker-undergoes-season-ending-knee-surgery/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/jabari-parker-undergoes-season-ending-knee-surgery/#respondWed, 15 Feb 2017 13:45:39 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=427098

Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond announced that forward Jabari Parker underwent successful surgery today to repair his left ACL injury. The surgery was performed at The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo., by Dr. Robert LaPrade.

Parker will miss the remainder of the season with the recovery and rehabilitation period estimated at 12 months. A timeline for his return to basketball activity will be established at a later date. Parker suffered the injury in the third quarter of Milwaukee’s game vs. Miami on Feb. 8.

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/jabari-parker-undergoes-season-ending-knee-surgery/feed/02016 NBAEMINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 30: Jabari Parker #12 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots a free throw during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 30, 2016 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)Powerful Beyond Measurehttp://www.slamonline.com/the-magazine/features/giannis-antetokounmpo-greece/
http://www.slamonline.com/the-magazine/features/giannis-antetokounmpo-greece/#respondFri, 10 Feb 2017 15:52:16 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=426425

Disturbing politics back in Greece lingers over Giannis Antetokounmpo’s rise to NBA star.

There is no NBA All-Star taking our collective breath away quite like 22-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo. It’s the elastic arms and galactic skill set combined with a rapidly developing basketball computer brain that is turning him into Magic Johnson 2.0 before our eyes. (Or Magic 3.0, if you consider LeBron to be Magic’s second coming.) As Andrew Sharp put it for Sports Illustrated, “He’s arriving in a way that no one thought possible even two months ago, and it’s the biggest story in the NBA right now.”

The Milwaukee Bucks’ budding superstar is a player that we should be celebrating for his singular ability on the court. Instead, we cannot be content to merely celebrate “The Greek Freak.” We are going to have to defend him.

Greece is a country roiled by economic crisis in recent years. Their misery has opened the door to an openly fascist, disturbingly popular political party called Golden Dawn, and they are no fans of Giannis. When he was drafted by the Bucks in 2013, Golden Dawn leader Nikolaos Michaloliakos rejected the idea that Giannis, because he is the son of Nigerian immigrants, was truly Greek, saying, “If you give a chimpanzee in the zoo a banana and a flag, is he Greek?”

These aren’t your run-of-the-mill racists, either. Golden Dawn leaders are currently on trial for running an openly “criminal operation” that murders people for political gain. When you are in their crosshairs, they pull the trigger. In the case of Giannis, their target is high profile and represents the 21st century, multicultural Greece that they want to destroy.

Golden Dawn members murdered famous antifascist hip-hop artist Pavlos Fyssas on September 17, 2013 and have attempted to assassinate members of trade unions and political parties.

Mass demonstrations and open street battles have had to take place to challenge these goons. Now, Giannis is in their sights. As Annie-Rose Strasser wrote in 2013 for ThinkProgress, “In some ways he is their perfect villain: a young boy, not ethnically Greek, able to achieve success despite poverty and immigration status. He was even fast-tracked toward citizenship because ‘of special services to the country.’”

Michaloliakos, who is also currently on trial for criminal violence, called for Antetokounmpo’s family to be arrested when they met with the Prime Minister because of their previously undocumented status. He said, “A policeman should have arrested them outside the Maximos Mansion [the Prime Minister’s office] and brought them to a detention center, along with the other illegal immigrants.”

As for Giannis, his story is so remarkable precisely because of this history. He joined his parents selling watches and wallets on the streets of Greece along with his four brothers to put food on the table. “Sometimes, our fridge was empty,” he said to the New York Times in 2013. “Some days, we didn’t sell the stuff and we didn’t have money to feed ourselves.”

It’s difficult to look at the story of Giannis Antetokounmpo and not think of our own country, where a President was elected by whipping up hostility, hatred and even violence against immigrant communities in the United States. (An immigrant church was vandalized with “Trump Nation/Whites Only” and an elderly El Salvadoran woman was attacked minutes from my house, so forgive me for not biting my tongue about this.)

To celebrate Giannis’ triumph as a basketball player is to celebrate the journey of his parents and to fight for the rights of all people to find their place in the world. When he first came to this country to play pro ball as a teenager in 2013, he charmed people by tweeting, “I just taste for the first time a smoothie. MAN GOD BLESS AMERICA.” Yet in a recent Sports Illustrated profile he said simply, “That kid—the kid with the smoothies—I’m not really that kid anymore.” Giannis is all grown up, ready to take over the world. We need to grow up, too—to the threats faced by people who share his background, but don’t have the ability to put a ball in a hoop.

Bucks forward Jabari Parker suffered a left knee injury during the third quarter of last night’s game vs. Miami at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. This morning, Parker underwent an MRI that revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee. Parker will undergo surgery to repair the injury and will miss the remainder of the 2016-17 season. The recovery and rehabilitation period is estimated at 12 months.

It’s the same knee that required surgery during his rookie season when he suffered a torn ACL.

An MRI is scheduled today to determine the severity of the injury.

Per the Journal Sentinel:

Asked about Parker’s injury, (Bucks general manager John) Hammond said, “To this point, our doctors are calling it a knee sprain. We’re going to have an MRI (Thursday).”

Bucks center John Henson said, “I’m very concerned, man. Jabari, just to see him go down with an injury, it sucks. We hope it’s just a sprain. That’s what we’re all praying for. When it rains, it pours, man. We’ve got to fight our way out of this.”

Henson and other Bucks players ran out on the court after Parker was injured, and Henson and Michael Beasley helped him get off the floor. […] “He was yelling the whole time, ‘I just hyperextended it. It’s cool. I’m good.’ Hopefully, that’s what the case is,” Henson said.

The trade deadline is still a few weeks away, but the Bucks and Hornets kicked things off with an exchange of big men. According to ESPN, the Bucks have agreed in principle to trade Miles Plumlee to the Hornets in exchange for Spencer Hawes and Roy Hibbert:

Story with @WindhorstESPN: Milwaukee has reached an agreement in principle to trade Miles Plumlee to Charlotte for Roy Hibbert/Spencer Hawes

After signing a four-year $50 million deal last summer, Plumlee is averaging 2.6 points in 32 games played. Hibbert is averaging 5.2 points and 3.6 boards and Hawes is putting up 7.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per.

President Trump signed an executive order to suspend immigration from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia, which reportedly prompted the NBA front office to reach out to the State Department for a better understanding of how the order will affect its foreign players. Los Angeles Lakers forward Luol Deng and Milwaukee Bucks forward Thon Maker were both born in the Sudan before moving out of the country as young children. Though they were born in the Sudan, Deng and Maker identify as South Sudanese. The South Sudan became an independent country in 2011 and is not included in President Trump’s travel ban.

More from The Vertical:

Before a federal court in New York issued a ruling to suspend Trump’s order to ban, NBA spokesman Mike Bass issued a statement saying: “We have reached out to the State Department and are in the process of gathering information to understand how this executive order would apply to players in our league who are from one of the impacted countries.

“The NBA is a global league and we are proud to attract the very best players from around the world.”

The NBA has several global initiative programs, including Basketball Without Borders, that recruit, develop and invest in Sudanese players. Several top Sudanese players are attending American high schools and colleges on visas and could become NBA draft picks.

The Bucks played in Toronto on Friday night and the Bucks were reportedly concerned that Maker would have problems getting back into the United States. Maker made it safely back to the States and the organization’s Senior Vice President Alex Lasry sent out a series of tweets regarding Thon:

I appreciate all the fans concerns and prayers for Thon. And, today a Sudanese refugee who fled oppression and is an incredible young man 1/

Though he is having the best year of his career thus far, Bucks forward Jabari Parker curiously came off the bench during the team’s loss to the Miami Heat on Saturday. A report from ESPN states that Parker was stripped of his starting role for “violating a team rule that prohibits disclosing locker room discourse to the media.”

According to the report, Milwaukee held a team meeting following their loss to Orlando on Friday. Parker allegedly spoke up and voiced his frustration about the team’s “lack of togetherness.” Parker said that he was “getting thrashed” during the team meeting:

“I spoke up for the first time, and it didn’t go my way,” Parker said to the media. “I was getting thrashed, but hey, as long as I give them another perspective, I did my job.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/james-harden-outduels-giannis-antetokounmpo/feed/02017 NBAEHOUSTON, TX - JANUARY 18: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets shoots the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks during the game on January 18, 2017 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. James Hardens near triple-double (38 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds) leads the Houston Rockets to a 111-92 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)WATCH: Giannis Antetokounmpo Throws Down Monster Slamhttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/watch-giannis-antetokounmpo-throws-monster-slam/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/watch-giannis-antetokounmpo-throws-monster-slam/#respondMon, 16 Jan 2017 22:53:18 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/?p=423003